Overnight bus trips are the best idea ever. You save on a nights accommodation, and get all the long haul travel done without taking chunks out of the days when you can be doing things. At least you could be if you got more than 5 minutes sleep and the city you arrived in actually had anything open to do!

We stepped off the bus around 8am, and fortunately our hostel was only a short walk and our room was available straight away. We had been under the impression we had our own bathroom, but there was only really 1 usable shower and 1 usable toilet for the whole hostel. We might have had 2 toilets if Fergus hadn't broken the flushing device clean off the attachment of one on arrival!

We showered, dressed and set out for the day to see the sights of Córdoba, really just keen to remove ourselves from our damp and dingy room.

The day is 'dia de él trabajador' (labour day). Everything was closed. It took about an hour just to find an open café to get a coffee and brunch, a meal of a ham and cheese toasted sandwich with potato chips, seems to be quite a popular meal. We wandered the rather empty streets for a while trying to find some sights that might be open but to no avail.

A few places started opening later in the day. The man in the tourist info had given us a few spots to check out that were near a restaurant we read about that is supposed to be cheap and tasty, our two favourite restaurant characteristics.

We walked by the restaurant around 7 but it was closed, which is fine as restaurants here open later, the locals eat around 10. So we first went to check out a street with a bunch of artesian shops. A lot of these were open and there were crowds of people wandering through. Some really cool trinkets, clothes, antiques and all sorts of things were on offer, alas we have no money for such things, but it was fun window shopping anyway.

Back past the restaurant. Still closed.

To kill more time, while our stomachs were eating themselves, we went to Paso del Buen Pastor, a building with a fountain out the front that we were told does a light and water show each hour at night. There were hundreds or Córdobians(?) gathered drinking mate, so we waited with them for the magic to start but alas, the light show didn't happen on account of the public holiday.

Even after all this the restaurant still wasn't open, so we gave in and went to Johnny B Good, an American chain, but spent way more than we wanted to.

On Friday we were hopeful of checking out a few other sights. The Jesuit crypts, closed. Maybes the river is nice? Not so much. And a wander through the shopping centre reminded us we are on a serious budget.

We grabbed a sandwich and headed for Parque Sarmiento where the tourist info guy had indicated there was a lot to do and see. A couple of zoo's, a fun park that appeared less safe than any travelling carnival I've seen, and a skate park where a competition was taking place.

We headed back to town to catch the 6pm free tour of the Montana Jesuítica, but we think that wasn't on today either as all the doors were closed and there was no sign of anyone gathering for a tour.

We had a beer and people watched for a while before heading back to the restaurant we wanted to try, but it was still closed! So we went to a place nearby and had a nice dinner and a beer. While eating, we could see the fountain show was working, so after dinner we went to watch it. We were amused by the young girls dressed in over the top dresses, with what looked like professional photographers and their families looking on while they posed in front of the fountain. Some kind of high school formal tradition?

Saturday was a much more successful day. One of the guys that worked in the hostel also runs his own little tour guide operation on the side. He didn't charge too much and was going to a place nicknamed hippy beach, so we decided to join in.

He took us and another couple (from Israel) on a bus for about an hour and a half to a place called Cuesta Blanca. We alighted the bus at one end of town then walked through it for a while checking out the quaint houses. This area is a popular place for holiday homes.

After a short stop at a Kiosco to buy a sandwich we climbed up and over a rigde, from the top of which we had views over the dam on one side, and the white sands of playa de las hippies on the other. We walked down the other side and climbed up to a waterfall to eat, before descending to the beach.

There are a few hippies with their tents set up, camp fires going, selling bits and pieces and playing some music, but it wasn't too busy. We were glad to visit when its quiet, as it seems too many people would ruin the tranquillity of the area. The sand sparkles as it's full of mica and quartz.

We took a hike further up the river for a bit, before turning back and finding a suitable place to cross so we could return to town along another path. Our guide went first, it was only waist deep, so we were safe to follow. Shoes off, pants off and holding our belongings over heads, in we went. It was a little brisk but only a short crossing.

The path back took us along a ridge overlooking the town. The buses back to Córdoba go every half hour so we didn't have to wait long for the return trip.

After a shower and some empanadas for dinner, we were back to the bus station ready for our midnight departure. Super tired, will definitely sleep well on this trip right?

LAPFWT